1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of keratoplasty and, more particularly, to the application of a device configured to treat one or more eye disorders by causing corrective reshaping of an eye feature.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of eye disorders, such as myopia, keratoconus, and hyperopia, involve abnormal shaping of the cornea or the eye itself. Keratoplasty reshapes the cornea to correct such disorders. For example, with myopia, the cornea may be too steep or the eyeball too long, causing the refractive power of an eye to be too great and images to be focused in front of the retina. Flattening aspects of the cornea's shape through keratoplasty decreases the refractive power of an eye with myopia and causes the image to be properly focused at the retina.
Invasive surgical procedures, such as laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), may be employed to reshape the cornea. However, such surgical procedures typically require a healing period after surgery. Furthermore, such surgical procedures may involve complications, such as dry eye syndrome caused by the severing of corneal nerves.
Thermokeratoplasty, on the other hand, is a noninvasive procedure that may be used to correct the vision of persons who have disorders associated with abnormal shaping of the cornea, such as myopia, keratoconus, and hyperopia. Thermokeratoplasty may be performed by applying electrical energy in the microwave or radio frequency (RF) band. In particular, microwave thermokeratoplasty may employ a near field microwave applicator to apply energy to the cornea and raise the corneal temperature. At about 60° C., the collagen fibers in the cornea shrink. The onset of shrinkage is rapid, and stresses resulting from this shrinkage reshape the corneal surface. Thus, application of heat energy in circular or ring-shaped patterns may cause aspects of the cornea to flatten and improve vision in the eye.